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@atten gisten atnt @ffice GEORGE W. normas l AND 4ELISHA HGPKIM-s, OE vBaocrimini.,` NEW YORK.:

i l Letters-Patent No. 68,745,datecl'eptembcrli),1867. n I

IMPROVEMENT iM-vigtrnsv ron STEAM. ENGINES-.1

To ALL WHOM 1T MAY ooNoEEN:

Beit known that we, GEORGE W. HoPK'INs and EnlsnA HornrNs, b oth of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement on .Automatic Valves for Steam and other Engines ,or,Pumps,'ot" whclrthefollowing is aifull, clear, and* exact descriptiongreferenee being had tothe accompanying drawing, forming part of this spe'ciiication, and-in Whicl1`- j Y l Figure 1 represents a central transverse section through an engine-cylinder with its d riving-piston, and our improvedvalve applied thereto U 4 i Figure., a ccntrialflongitudinal section ofthe-saine, taken as indicated bythe line :v'zv-in iig. 1.

Figure 3, a longitudinal section taken as denoted by the line sein-iig. l; and

Figure 4 a plan, with th'eoutcr` valve-case and valve orvalvesj removed.1

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.v p p l Y Our improvement relates to ,that description of-,valves on which Letters Patent of the United Statesfor .improvement were issued te uson ytheY 28th day of August, 1866, and in which the exhaust Vsteam from the engine is made' to throw the valve' controlling thc'action of thepiston; butin this-our present'improveinent` we dispense withsli'dingq-ingsV opcratedlby the valve for controlling the'V ports or. passages Whichadmitwthe spent steam from the engine-cylinder to act `upon the valve, `and differ from such preyious'arrangement in other important respects, our invention consisting-in a direct action ofthe engine-.pistoni'on a shifteroperating in connection with a balance-valve and suitable ports or -passages for alternatingthe admissionof Athe spentksteam' L from the engine-cylinder to opposite sides of a supplementarypiston that serves to throw loose independent slides, which govern themain, ports or passages of the engine-cylinder. Y 4 i Referring to the accompanying drawing, "Afrepresents anengine-cylinder, Bits piston, and C the rod to the latter. D is the main steam inlet, and E the-mainexhaust. FV is the-"shifter, preferably 'made ofA cylindrical'A form, andrarranged to reciprocate, when struck,'in.a passage formed inthe engine-cylinder parallel toits-taxis. This shifter is provided at or near either of its ends with arms or pinsa a', arranged to` project throughslots b b', into the engine-cylinder, and is furtherprovided'nith annular passages c-c, which,`in 'the intermittent" reciprocating action of the shifter, alternately communicate with apert'uinesdl dltha't` open-into the engines cylinder. G is the valveseat or plate, on whichfatone side, of the airial'line of thepiston and. over thefslliftelr, is a balanced or partly balanced, b'y pressure if-.steam onits Vupper and under faces, slide-valve I'L'in` gear with the shifter bya pin, e, and having cavitiesffftvhich control passages i z'j and h" j'. The passages h andy'-` communicate with the apertures d d -that Aopen into the engine-cylinder, thetpass'agesj'and It! `with the main. y exhaust E, andthe-passages ii witlrthe ports 7c cthat open at oppositeends into `a cylinder, I, l'in ulrich' is l arranged a reciprocating piston, J', hung on a valve-rod,I` Z, that is Vinlocs'ezci independent gear,by: titppcts1 o r.. pins s `s with D`; `valves K K', which control steam inlets man', connecting the-enginecylinder'xviththe steam` chest I; also by their cavities n u. controlling outlet passages odo totherrrmain exhaust Gnshioning-dislrs, -working in suitable recesses, M M', maybe hung on the rod l, to break shoclri'n'throwfof the .'pistoliJ, as`V in;

other abrupt valve actions. 4 l 1 The operation is as follows: Supposing the engine to have been started bysuitable adjustment-.of therod Z, and steam to have urged the piston B to theiposit'on shown for it in figs. Licensing the .pin' las the piston is aboutcompleting such stroke, to be struck so as toY .move the shifter 'F' andva-lved tothe positions represented for them in iig. 3. 4This causes the spent' steam' to escape `bytlreaperture d, round the4 annular passage c, through thepassage h, into the cavityf, and from thence `through `the opening i3to the port c of the cylinder I, on one side of the piston J, at. the same time Vopening communication on `'the opposite side of the` piston J with the exhaustA E, by the ports and passages t c" f 7L. v Such being the `positionbf the'parts, the. piston J is thrown by the force of vthe spent steam to` the situation' itoccupiesirl-Jig. 2,.s'hifting`thc 'valves K K"l so a-s to admit the live steam through the port-m to the opposite-side ofthe engine-piston, and at thepsame time openfthe cylinder on the reverse side, by the port meavity n', fafnd passage o to the main eiihaust, for escape of the remaining portion or bulk di' the. spent steam, which gives 4to the engine-piston n. reverse action, at or towards the completion of4 whichstlie'moiicn is againv changed by the piston B, striking the pin ,andoperating' theshifter F and valve H to reverse the communication of thc ports or passages which connect the cylinder I with the engine-cylinder and mainexllztust; thus shifting the valves K K. Y

In this Way is :L portion of the spent steam from the engine-cylinder, by :L direct action of the piston without outside connections, made to control or reverse the operation-of loose or independent main valves, which,`

accordingly, are free to adjust themselves 'to o. close working Contact with their seats.. This arrangement will be found very eiicientidthe working of steam-pumps, but lis also applicable to otherpurposes. v

What is here claimed and desired to be scoured by Letters Patent, is

1. .The combination, with u shifter F, operated as described, of u. valverH, in gear with the shifter for controlling the throwvof the mein valve or valves, as herein set forth.

2. The shifter F, driven as specified, valve H, operated thereby, piston J, or its equivalent, and independent main valves K K', with their several ports or passages, all for operation together essen tially as described.

GEORGE W. HOPKINS,

Emst-IA HOPKINS. Witnesses:

J. W. Comms, G. W. REED. 

